Chapter Summaries

Su Ming visited Zheng Xian and helped him address the departure of young Mutants from the S.P.E.A.R. Agency. He also steered Zheng Xian toward dealing with Shang-Chi over a planned excavation of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum, then left with an invitation to morning tea.

• Su Ming visited Zheng Xian at the S.P.E.A.R. Agency to discuss the coming Multiversal merger and ask about Celestial research.
• Zheng Xian told Su Ming that young Mutants wanted to leave the S.P.E.A.R. Agency for Utopia, and Su Ming offered to arrange a meeting with Charles.
• Su Ming asked Zheng Xian about Shang-Chi, then said Shang-Chi was planning to help A.I.M.-backed consortiums excavate Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum.
• Zheng Xian agreed that Shang-Chi should be dealt with and quietly sent a staff member to act on the matter.
• Su Ming flew away with Zheng Xian to enjoy morning tea, having made no assassination arrangements himself.

Deathstroke tested the Nightfall Greatsword against Black Pharaoh, who revealed it could cut Darkseid but left the reason for his interest in Earth unclear. Back at Kamar-Taj, Deathstroke asked Mordo about the Ancient One and learned Master Monark had recently been spending time at the No Door Bar, which he found suspicious.

• Black Pharaoh told Deathstroke that weapons could not harm him and invited Wade to visit him, then let Deathstroke test the Nightfall Greatsword.
• Deathstroke’s strike hit Black Pharaoh, but the Old One’s existence remained beyond the weapon’s reach; Black Pharaoh said the sword could cut Darkseid.
• Deathstroke returned to Kamar-Taj and considered Black Pharaoh’s role as an audience member and Earth as the stage.
• Deathstroke asked Mordo whether the Ancient One had returned, and Mordo said no one had heard from her.
• Mordo told Deathstroke that Master Monark had recently visited the No Door Bar to guide young people, and Deathstroke doubted the explanation.

Su Ming went to No Door Bar to meet Monark, but found Professor Xu there and discussed her killing of Shang-Chi. He justified Shang-Chi’s death by recounting his betrayal and the future harm he would cause, while Professor Xu regretted not having known more before carrying out her mission.

• Su Ming entered No Door Bar alone after sending Mordo back to oversee the restroom door repairs.
• Su Ming found Professor Xu drinking alone and greeted her, then praised her for dealing with Shang-Chi.
• Su Ming ordered Bamboo Leaf Green and food for Professor Xu, but the bar owner could only provide onion rings.
• Professor Xu asked why Su Ming considered Shang-Chi a traitor, and Su Ming described his betrayal of his school and his plans to expose the First Emperor’s secrets.
• Professor Xu regretted that Shang-Chi had died too easily and said she would have tortured him if she had known the full story.

Su Ming met Professor Xu at the No Door Bar and discussed her work guarding the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon, his search for Monark and Ancient One, and his hidden identity. Their conversation ended when a blood-covered corpse suddenly fell onto their table.

• Su Ming reflected on Professor Xu’s magical strength and role overseeing research into the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon, an artifact that granted immortality by consuming another person’s life.
• Professor Xu asked whether Su Ming had come to the No Door Bar to relax, and he explained that he was looking for Monark and asking about Teacher Yao.
• Su Ming revealed his Chinese appearance and explained that he concealed his identity from Director Zheng, while Professor Xu promised to keep his secret.
• Professor Xu celebrated her victory over Director Zheng and began a cat-paw dance with Su Ming.
• A blood-covered corpse of an old man suddenly fell onto Su Ming and Professor Xu’s table, smashing their wine and snacks.

Su Ming and Professor Xu examined a corpse that had been teleported into the No Door Bar and identified its owner as a Sorcerer Supreme from another dimension. Su Ming sent a photo of the dead Master to the Kamar-Taj Work Group to find out who he was.

• Professor Xu noted that the corpse’s injuries and sudden arrival suggested it had not died in a magical accident.
• Heavy explained that the No Door Bar’s rules and defenses made the corpse’s teleportation inside suspicious.
• Su Ming identified the corpse’s green gemstone clasp as an Eye of Agamotto and explained that it marked a Sorcerer Supreme from another dimension.
• Su Ming told Professor Xu that countless dimensions existed and that more than two hundred Sorcerer Supremes had been counted thirty years earlier.
• Su Ming connected to the bar’s Wi-Fi, photographed the corpse, and sent the image to the Kamar-Taj Work Group.

Su Ming and Professor Xu investigated the death of a Sorcerer Supreme from the Seventeenth Dimension and ruled out signs of a Materialist Empire invasion affecting their Earth. They left for Kamar-Taj to examine the corpse and pursue the case.

• Master Hamir identified the dead man as the Sorcerer Supreme of the Seventeenth Dimension, and Su Ming asked whether magic had become difficult to cast.
• Heavy and Professor Xu reported no problems with their magic, so Su Ming concluded their Earth showed no signs of the Materialist Empire cutting off magical channels.
• Su Ming invited Professor Xu to Kamar-Taj, paid Heavy, and asked him to tell Monark where to find him.
• Su Ming and Professor Xu carried the corpse through Huaxi Village, where Xu admired the busy magical marketplace and declined Su Ming's offer of food.
• Su Ming said he had arranged a thorough examination of the corpse and planned to find the primary crime scene before seeking justice and questioning the Vishanti.

Su Ming had Holloway perform an autopsy on a dead mage from an alternate dimension to determine where he had been before dying. The evidence pointed Su Ming toward a tropical or subtropical swamp, and he set out to investigate.

• Su Ming brought the corpse to Kamar-Taj and asked Holloway to determine its cause of death and trace its last movements.
• Holloway found that the corpse had no internal organs, brain, or soul, and confirmed that the death was not natural.
• Holloway’s tests revealed asbestos from a Japanese chemical company dating to 1927, along with feather fibers from wading birds and other clues.
• Xu Xian deduced that the mage had died near a tropical or subtropical swamp where freshwater and seawater mixed.
• Su Ming concluded that he knew the likely location and left to investigate.

Su Ming and Xu Xian traveled to Orange Town to investigate the dead Sorcerer Supreme’s likely entrance through the Nexus of All Realities beneath The Great Marsh. Su Ming brought Xu Xian to a local man’s home, where the man recognized him as his master.

• Su Ming explained that the dead Sorcerer Supreme had likely entered the Main Dimension through the Nexus of All Realities in The Great Marsh.
• Su Ming and Xu Xian arrived in Orange Town, where orange-growing and magic shaped the town’s unusual prosperity.
• Su Ming told Xu Xian that ancient Atlantis was connected to the local magic and promised to explain more after they settled in.
• Su Ming led Xu Xian to a house and knocked on the door.
• The black-haired owner let them inside and asked Su Ming why his master had come.

Su Ming and Xu Xian visited Leonid Tesla in Orange Town to investigate a sorcerer’s passage through the Reality Hub. Leonid explained his dangerous cosmic power and his role guarding the hub, while the discovery of his lover showed he was not as lonely as Xu Xian had assumed.

• Su Ming introduced Xu Xian to Leonid Tesla and explained that an Alternate Dimension Sorcerer Supreme’s corpse had led them to investigate Florida.
• Xu Xian asked Leonid about his father, Doctor Nikola Tesla, and why he had become a mage.
• Leonid revealed that he could transform into an Astral Being and carried enough energy to restart a Single Universe, which was why he had studied magic at Kamar-Taj.
• Leonid explained that Su Ming had tasked him with guarding the Reality Hub and jokingly told him to detonate himself in the Alternate Dimension if he lost control.
• A blonde woman came downstairs, kissed Leonid, and left after he told her his guests might keep him busy.
• Xu Xian withdrew into the sofa and concluded that Leonid was not lonely after all.

Su Ming explained Orange Town’s history and the conflict between its outsider residents and the Cult of Entropy, which secretly caused many local supernatural incidents. He decided to leave the cult alone for now and even help its research into the dimensional passage, hoping to claim its results.

• Deathstroke identified the departing woman as a Black Witch and Swedish Siren, then explained that Orange Town had rival witch factions: outsiders and locals.
• Su Ming traced the Cult of Entropy’s origins to Zhered-Na, whose apprentice Dakim brought her Magic Book to the place that became Orange Town.
• Su Ming said Dakim’s successors abandoned White Magic, embraced Dark Magic and demon summoning, and became the Cult of Entropy under Joshua Kyle.
• Su Ming revealed that the cult manipulated the town’s monsters and disappearances while researching a passage to an Alternate Dimension.
• When Professor Xu asked why he had not destroyed the cult, Su Ming said he wanted to wait for its research results and planned to help accelerate its work.

Su Ming, Professor Xu, and Leonid searched The Great Marsh for the scene connected to the corpse, using clues about the location and nearby wildlife. Their first stop was an abandoned fishing cabin, but Strangle found no trace of the corpse there, so they moved on to another possible site.

• Su Ming explained Orange Town's large Mystic Side population and scolded Leonid for neglecting his local contacts.
• Su Ming, Professor Xu, and Leonid headed into The Great Marsh to search for the corpse's primary scene.
• Su Ming asked Leonid to find marsh buildings near waterbird nests and box turtles that had asbestos shingles.
• Leonid led the group to a derelict cabin on a dock, where Strangle detected old human blood but no trace of the corpse.
• Su Ming ruled out the cabin and told Leonid to lead them to the next location.

Su Ming and his companions investigated a swamp shipyard and followed the victim’s scent to a buried military factory. They entered the still-powered underground complex, where Leonid noted the eerie silence.

• Su Ming explained that the Alternate Dimension Sorcerer Supreme had been fleeing a monster that might still be in the Great Marsh.
• Xu Xian found Murloc tracks at the abandoned shipyard, but Su Ming concluded the victim had not been killed there.
• Leonid led Su Ming and Xu Xian to a fenced U.S. military site, where Strangle detected the victim’s scent beneath a ventilation tower.
• Su Ming tore the ventilation tower from the ground with Force Telekinesis and opened a way into the underground factory.
• Su Ming, Xu Xian, and Leonid descended into the powered complex, and Leonid observed that it was unnaturally quiet.

Su Ming, Professor Xu, and Leonid investigated a blood-soaked greenhouse in the underground laboratory, where the missing organs and strange mucus pointed to a creature that had hunted another Sorcerer Supreme. Strangle had picked up its scent, and the group prepared to track it toward the swamp.

• Su Ming followed Strangle through the underground facility while he and Professor Xu discussed their work and Leonid described his struggles casting spells in combat.
• Leonid and Professor Xu traded dramatic spell catchphrases as the group continued toward the strongest smell of blood.
• Su Ming, Professor Xu, and Leonid found a wrecked greenhouse with blood, claw marks, mucus, and trails leading away from the entrance.
• Su Ming concluded that the missing organs and brain had likely been eaten by the creature that attacked the other Sorcerer Supreme.
• Su Ming spotted damp mucus on the ceiling leading toward a ventilation fan and said Strangle had locked onto the creature's scent as it headed for the swamp.

Wade left a New York bank after settling his commission and headed toward Peter’s house, where he encountered an armed robber in an alley. After the robber pleaded for recognition of his labor, Wade shot him and left as the police treated the death as a suicide.

• Wade finished his Star Wars commission, considered whether Inoz had taken advantage of him, and decided he had gotten a good deal.
• Wade set off to visit Peter and was confronted by a robber who demanded his money and threatened his life.
• The robber argued that robbery was hard work and pleaded for respect, but Wade sneezed and shot him.
• Wade claimed the robber had killed himself, and the officers accepted that explanation and classified the death as a suicide.
• Wade left the alley and decided to take a bus to Queens to see Peter.

Deadpool broke into Peter Parker’s house and woke him with a disgusting prank, then tried to take him to a mercenary bar. Peter refused because he had plans with MJ and the others, and the friends agreed to play Monster Hunters online that night.

• Deadpool picked the lock on Peter’s front door and woke him by turning his pleasant dream into a nightmare.
• Peter woke in terror, then got angry when he saw Deadpool laughing at him.
• Deadpool invited Peter out to see adult entertainment and offered to pay, but Peter said he was going on an outing with MJ and the others to practice tactical coordination.
• Deadpool teased Peter about wanting the girls and urged him to ask them whether they wanted to sleep with him.
• Peter told Deadpool to leave, then confirmed they would play Monster Hunters online that night and defeat Tempered Valstrax.

After Wade fell into a sewer, he met Shakara, who recruited him to kill several people. In the Great Marsh, Su Ming’s search for the unfinished monster led him to summon Man-Thing.

• Wade fell through a stolen manhole cover and met Shakara, who offered him a chance to sleep with her if he helped her kill several people.
• Deathstroke reported that the Murlocs had no memories of seeing the unfinished monster, whose trail ended at the water.
• Professor Xu offered to contact Man-Thing with a Daoist spell, while Deathstroke teased Leonid for being unable to learn the art.
• A colossal figure rose from the swamp, and Su Ming stepped forward to speak with Man-Thing.

Su Ming’s group met Man-Thing in the swamp and learned that a chaotic, dangerous creature had entered Orange Town through the sewers. Man-Thing agreed to track it remotely and urged them to find his friends, who could help.

• Su Ming, Professor Xu, and Leonid encountered Man-Thing and asked whether he had sensed any monsters from an Alternate Dimension.
• Man-Thing said the creature had entered Orange Town through the connected sewer outlet and refused to go into town himself, fearing he would hurt innocent people.
• Su Ming gave Man-Thing a communicator so he could report the creature’s direction and asked him to protect his friends.
• Man-Thing reported that the creature was feeding and happy, then told Su Ming to find his friends first.

Su Ming and his companions entered Orange Town to investigate a monster that was likely eating people. The chapter introduced the town’s sheriff and the Kyle siblings before leaving the group at the sheriff’s heavily warded office.

• The chapter described John Dattari, Jennifer Kyle, and Andrew Kyle as the Man-Thing’s three friends.
• Jennifer and Andrew were revealed to be hosts to the demon gods Thog and Hellphyr, while Jennifer acted as the superhero Little Good Witch.
• Su Ming decided that the Kyle siblings could remain in town while he and his companions investigated the monster.
• Leonid spoke with Kenny at the police station and learned that Kenny’s wife secretly brewed rat poison in their basement.
• Su Ming, Leonid, and Professor Xu climbed to John Dattari’s office and found it crowded with objects meant to repel evil.

Su Ming, Leonid, and Professor Xu enlisted Orange Town sheriff Datri to investigate a possible monster attack reported on Stump Street. Datri joined them despite his lack of magical talent, and the group set out for the suspected crime scene.

• Su Ming told Datri that Ted had sent them, and Leonid revealed that he was a mage from Kamar-Taj while identifying Su Ming as the Sorcerer Supreme, Deathstroke.
• Su Ming explained that a monster or group of monsters feeding on human flesh and energy had entered town, and Datri found a report about Mrs. Shandem hearing her neighbor scream on Stump Street.
• Datri said the screaming had stopped before he could respond, then prepared to investigate and insisted on joining the group as the town's sheriff.
• Su Ming agreed to let Datri come along, while warning him that most of his supposed magical tools were fakes.
• Professor Xu identified Datri's supposed Black Dog Blood as Black Cat Blood, and Datri vowed to arrest the seller who had deceived him.

Su Ming and Professor Xu tracked a sewer-dwelling monster to a settling tank, where they found a deranged Reed Richards from another Parallel Universe. Reed attacked them with a mass of flesh, and Professor Xu’s fire spell revealed that he had Magic Resistance.

• Su Ming led the group into the apartment building, where the scent of blood suggested its residents were dead.
• Su Ming sent Leonid and the sheriff to block the sewer entrance while Professor Xu joined him in pursuing the monster underground.
• Su Ming and Professor Xu cornered the monster underwater and Professor Xu turned the sewage into mist.
• Su Ming recognized the exposed creature as a mad Reed Richards from another Parallel Universe, who demanded flesh and blood and attacked them.
• Professor Xu’s fire spell went out on contact, and she concluded Reed had Magic Resistance.